Wee folk, St. Patrick's Day, and Weekly Bear #7

Minty and a Wade leprachaun by smallgirl

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Teddy Forest! Minty, one of the Teddy Forest wee bears, went on a little St. Patrick's Day stroll in the garden today. She was lovingly made by the Timeless Doll Gallery, local West Coast makers of fine porcelain miniature dolls and bears. Sadly, they are no longer in business.

Weekly Bear #7-St. Patty's Bear

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Blast From the Past- Dodo the Original '90s Doodle Bear

Blast from the past- Dodo the Doodle Bear!

Do you have any "fad" toys left from your childhood? I hardly count teddy bears as a "fad" (they've been popular for over 100 years), but Dodo the original '90s Doodle Bear, a mild mannered bear who lives in Teddy Forest, qualifies.

Dodo sitting on my bookshelf of children's books

Growing up in the '90s without a television, I largely escaped passing toy fads, but when I saw the Doodle Bear on my gradma's TV, I knew I had to have one. So, on Christmas morning, there she was, Dodo, my new Doodle Bear. I drew all over her, had my friends at school draw on her; she still bears the message, "Auntie Lorena was here." I guess my mom was a good sport, because I never remember her getting annoyed with all the times Dodo must have been washed.

What "fad" toys did you have?

Hope has eyes!

Hope, needlefelted and photographed by smallgirl

My dear little moon bear, Hope, who I needle-felted several months ago has been patiently waiting to see the world. I was short a pair of glass eyes and didn't want to order a whole package online just for one bear, so poor Hope waited and waited in the dark. Yesterday, on a routine visit to my local sewing shop, I discovered that they have started selling German glass eyes by the pair, so of course Hope got eyes right away. Here he is exploring the garden.

needle felted moon bear, Hope, by smallgirl

To find out more about moon bears and how to protect them from cruelty and the medicine trade, please visit: http://www.animalsasia.org/index.php?UID=2J0NIOGTVCWA

Paddington Bear is Desperately Seeking Summer

Paddington meets a banana slug by smallgirl

It rains a lot in the West Coast Temperate Rainforest, which makes it so lush and green here, but sometimes Teddy Forest bears want to go to the beach instead of jump in puddles. At least the banana slugs are pleased, although Paddington looks unsure. Maybe tomorrow the sun will come out...or the next day...or the next day.

Wishing you sunshine, rainbows, and puddle-jumping fun!

Red Hot- A Teddy Forest Friend Restoration

Teddy Bear Restoration

Before

Do you have any old things that you made as a child that you can't bear to throw out? I do, especially if they happen to be bears! Red Hot, a failed Brownie Valentine's Day project, was battered and old with only one arm (yes, the sad white pom pom counts as an arm). Rather than banishing him to the landfill, everyone in Teddy Forest rallied together to fix him up. We hope that his transformation will inspire you to save some of your old friends (and just be satified with having old things) too.

On the operating table

Red Hot's New Look

Have a fantastic weekend and try to reuse and refurbish rather than throw out!

"I mean, perfect is a lot to expect from something, right? We all have our faults [...] If something doesn't work exactly right, or maybe needs some special treatment, you don't just throw it away. Everything can't be fully operational all the time. Sometimes, we need to have the patience to give something the little nudge it needs." from Keeping the Moon, by Sarah Dessen (in many ways, this book got me through highschool and contributed to who I am today)

Back to the Bears

There has been a bit of friendly grumbling in Teddy Forest recently, what with all the postings about birds and salamanders, the bears are beginning to ask, what about us? Well, they're back again, this time enjoying a lovely evening stroll in Teddy Forest Gardens.

Tinker, Wesley, and Pennington (Russ Heritage) have some advice for the weekend:



Stop to smell the flowers

  

Keep your face in the sunshine              Climb as high as you can



Love your pals

May the Fourth be with You

May the Fourth Be With You! May the Forest Be With You!

Suzannah (TY 1999) in her Ewok costume and a fun ad from the back of a Dennis the Menace comic book from Teddy Forest library.

Have a silly play-on-words weekend!

Spring means Swamp Lanterns

Bears all over the westcoast rainforest are waking up to delicious swamp lanterns, also know as skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus). These beautiful yellow flowered plants help black bears clear out their digestive tracts after a long hibernation. Here, Blackie and Blacky are enjoying an afternoon snack.

Blacky by Unipak, who also doubles as a cute purse, was a dumpster dive rescue. He's much happier munching swamp lanterns in Teddy Forest.

Blackie, a very vintage make by littlebluebirdcrafts has been a fixture in Teddy Forest for a long time. She's a little on the shy side but loves to get out into the woods in spring time.

Have a swampy-sweet day!

Spring has Sprung!

Happy Spring! We do live in a temperate rainforest, so we don't complain about the rain here in Teddy Forest, but we are happy for this recent bout of sun. Carmen, Bruno, Stella Bunny, and Chicky Chick went out to the garden to play this afternoon.

Elf planter: 1951 Gilner California, Carmen: designed and needlefelted by smallgirl, Bruno: designed and handsewn by smallgirl, Stella Bunny: Easter vintage, Chicky Chick: souvenir from the chicken farmer association.

Carmen, needlfelted by smallgirl

Have a great week <3

Martin- A Teddy Forest Friend

This is Martin, made in Canterbury, UK by the Canterbury Bear Co. One year ago this week I got him from the Hamley's at St. Pancras Station in London. Here, he is enjoying the beautiful Isle of Wight. He is named after the (possibly unfortunate) Old Martin, the first grizzly bear brought to England. He was given to the Royal Menagerie by the Hudson's Bay Company and kept in the Tower of London in the 1800s. His ghost has been reported once, haunting the Tower. Teddy Forest's Martin has happily settled in to the West Coast lifestyle and says the rain reminds him of home.